October: Actively Calm and Actively Alert

By Jeremy Gove,Information Systems Administrator,

When it comes to months of celebration, October is a bit of an overachiever. While she may not compete with December when it comes to holidays and days off, she definitely holds her own. Other than candy and Columbus, from a societal standpoint, October has three other major focuses: Clergy, Cancer, and CyberSecurity. Ironically, all three of these things have something in common, the idea of vigilance.

October is something that is near and dear to my heart, Clergy Appreciation Month. I can’t help but think of the words of Peter, one of the most influential leaders of the Early Church, when he wrote: “Be sober, be vigilant…” (I Peter 5:8a). Another, more literal, way to put it is, “Be actively calm and actively alert.” That’s the over-arching attitude of October and it’s a healthy mindset to have.

October recognizes that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. It reminds us that when breast cancer is detected early, the 5-year survival rate is 98%. And even though there isn’t a standard, accepted cure, there’s one piece of advice that is chanted over and over again: “Be vigilant. Get yourself checked.”

October also recognizes that security threats exist. Just recently, Home Depot, JP Morgan, Kmart, Target, and TJ Maxx all had significant data breaches. And while we could use that information as an excuse to panic or use this post to list out several ways to keep your data secure, the solution to each comes down to a common mantra: “Be vigilant. Think before you act. Think before you click.”

Vigilance starts as an attitude. It starts with the words, “I care enough to .” Be mindful of your surroundings. Be mindful of your neighbor. Display pride in what you have, no matter how little or how much it may be. Be vigilant. Be actively calm and actively alert. Yes, there are personal benefits, but vigilance is practice where everybody wins. It’s a central part of building a strong community. And that’s important because that’s exactly what we are. Evans County is more than a center of local government, we’re a community, a group of people who not only live in the same area, but are striving to make it better.

In the spirit of vigilance and in celebration of October, here are some resources to help protect your health and personal data: